1. Field
This disclosure relates to the playback of recorded music and, specifically, to processes for automatically and seamlessly transitioning between recorded audio tracks.
2. Description of the Related Art
When found on a musical score, the term “segue” instructs the performer to continue the next section of the musical composition without a pause. In recorded music or in live performance, “segue” commonly means a seamless transition between one song and another. Within this description, “segue” means a gradual and seamless transition between two recorded audio tracks, such as the “mixing” performed by a DJ in a nightclub.
Beat matching has been used to automatically segue between recorded audio tracks. The beats of each track are identified and one or both tracks may be time-scaled to equalize their beat frequency and phase. Time-scaling is a known technique of stretching or accelerating the playback of a recorded track without altering the acoustic spectrum. The playback volume of the two tracks may then be cross-faded to transition the sound from the first track to the second track. Beat matching maintains a consistent beat during the transition between tracks for the benefit of persons listening and/or dancing to the music being played, but beat matching alone may not provide the smoothest transition between audio tracks.
Throughout this description, elements appearing in flow charts are assigned three-digit reference designators, where the most significant digit is the figure number and the two least significant digits are specific to the element. An element that is not described in conjunction with a flow chart may be presumed to have the same characteristics and function as a previously-described element having a reference designator with the same least significant digits.